Fyfe star rising as veteran shut out

Fyfe star rising as veteran shut out - The West Australian

Teenager Nat Fyfe is in line for a NAB Rising Star nomination after a compelling performance in Fremantle's 37-point win over Sydney at the SCG on Saturday.

Fyfe was at the centre of an early surprise when he started on hard-running veteran Ryan O'Keefe on the wing.

West Coast saw a similar tactic backfire at the same ground just a month earlier when they sent Lewis Stevenson to O'Keefe, whose gut-busting run ruined the debutant.

While the pencil-thin Fyfe did not man O'Keefe for the entire match, he spent significant parts of it running with him before coming out the victor.

He had 23 possessions (12 contested), five tackles, four clear-ances, seven inside-50s, one scoring assist and also displayed his impressive marking skills.

O'Keefe finished with 21 possessions but did not have a major impact and Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands said his 18-year-old teammate deserved to be recognised by Rising Star selectors.

"He's taken the next step and if he keeps playing the way he does, there's no reason why he won't (be nominated)," Sandilands said.

"It's sensational to see a guy like that come into the side and when he flies for the ball and takes those marks ... it's just good to watch.

"He's an amazing athlete and he's only going to improve and become a really good player for the Fremantle Football Club."

Coach Mark Harvey also praised Fyfe, who was playing in just his fifth game compared to O'Keefe's 195, and said it was growth in young players such as Fyfe which would fuel Fremantle's charge up the ladder.

"Sometimes you just have a look at a young player's strengths and you try to say, well, if you put him in that position will it work," Harvey said.

"That kid has got some really good sense and intuition about the game and what's about to happen, and as I've said before, he anticipates quickly.

"All those things will make us grow as a team and when he gets pitted against O'Keefe, it's what he learns from it and how he implements some of that into his game and how he can then make it a real positive for him and he can grow in stature."

A stain on Fyfe's game on Saturday was being charged with making contact with an umpire. He was fined $1200 for a first-time offence but can reduce that to $900 by pleading guilty.